Established Monterey Lawyer for Estate Planning and Administration

Securing your wealth for retirement and a smooth transfer to your heirs

Many people associate estate planning with estate and inheritance taxes. California has done away with those taxes on the state level and the federal government currently only taxes estates with assets in excess of 5,250,000. This has left many Californians with a false sense of security regarding their estate plans. You should know that estate planning encompasses many additional critical issues. Located in Monterey, the Law Offices of William A. Brandwein, we help clients establish comprehensive estate plans that cover essential aspects of wealth management, retirement planning, long-term care planning and succession planning, including:

Asset protection — Many individuals actively guard against the loss of wealth from taxation, but overlook a potentially greater danger: losses because of liability. From car accidents to slip and fall accidents on your property, you may be vulnerable to crippling lawsuits. Before you lose your home or business, let us review the way you’ve structured your assets and your level of insurance coverage to ascertain if you’re adequately protected.

Provide for your own incapacity — With age comes infirmity. Your estate plan can designate a trusted individual to make decisions for you if you cannot decide for yourself. You can take charge by recording a living will, durable power of attorney or medical power of attorney.

Avoid probate — Unless you have a will or a trust mechanism in place, your heirs will face frustration, expense and delay before receiving any bequests. Prevent losses and speed delivery of your legacy gifts with a clear, unambivalent will.

Provide for minor children — Should you pass before your children reach the age of majority, you can have mechanisms in place to ensure their welfare, upbringing and education.

Provide for children from a first marriage — Under California’s inheritance laws, children from a first marriage can lose their entire inheritance if their parent dies first and assets are counted entirely as community property and pass to the second spouse. A knowledgeable Monterey estate planning attorney can help ensure that your children receive the assets you designate for them.

Leave a gift to a favored charity — Many individuals desire to make charitable gifts as part of the disposition of their assets. However, this can be accomplished only when the decedent has left clear instructions.

Reliable estate planning from a knowledgeable California attorney

The Law Offices of William A. Brandwein has decades of experience assisting clients throughout the Salinas metro area, the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Carmel and Pacific Grove with their estate plans. We employ a variety of strategies to help clients limit losses due to tax and liability issues, including living trusts, irrevocable trusts, life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, living wills, last wills and powers of attorney. We understand that discussing end-of-life issues can be emotionally complex, and we maintain a cordial, relaxed atmosphere at our offices, where we’re able to work in close personal consultation with you. Our estate practice also extends to administering intestate estates for individuals who died without wills. We do our best to get the estate through probate with the minimum inconvenience to the beneficiaries. We also handle will disputes in the probate court.

The Law Offices of William A. Brandwein helps clients reduce their expose to taxes and liability, while putting in place comprehensive safeguards for retirement and succession. To schedule an appointment, call our Monterey office at 831-920-4630 or contact us online.

Awards & Affiliations

Law Offices of William A. Brandwein A Professional Law Corporation is located in Monterey, CA and serves clients in and around Monterey, Carmel Valley, Spreckels.

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